Vancouver, BC: Since its inception in 2011 Paws for Hope has advocated for an end to the retail sale of animals. One of the consequences of animals sold in retail, whether it is online or through pet stores, is that unscrupulous breeders engage in inhumane breeding practices to meet the consumer demand. “Last week’s seizure of 66 dogs from a puppy mill in Fort Langley exposed the general public to the realities of what goes on in these operations”, stated Paws for Hope Animal Foundation’s Executive Director, Kathy Powelson. But many of us involved in animal welfare and rescue have been trying to put an end to this type of suffering for a very long time, and we fully support the provincial government’s swift action and their announcement to protect companion animals by creating laws that will provide stricter breeding regulations and give the BC SPCA with proactive powers of investigation and inspection.

Photos of puppies for sale at Pet Habitat, Burnaby, BC

Photo of puppy sick with Parvovirus sold on Kijiji from a breeder in Surrey

Picture of scared kitten being sold at Pet Habitat, Burnaby, BC

Paws for Hope also calls for people to shift their thinking of where and how to get a pet. “Laws and regulation are only part of the solution, states Powelson, “While the public was horrified to see the images of animals with limbs missing, matted and covered in feces, the reality is for as long as people continue to purchase pets online and through pet stores, operations such as the one in Fort Langley will continue to operate”.